Area's first residential, retail site dedicated

Another Broken Egg restaurant to open Monday; other tenants yet to be announced

A ribbon-cutting was held Tuesday for Riverwalk Plaza on Jack Warner Parkway. The development along the Riverwalk is the area's first to combine residences with retail. Guests were allowed to tour a model luxury condominium after the ceremony.

Robert Sutton | The Tuscaloosa News

By Patrick RupinskiBusiness Editor

Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 12:29 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | RiverWalk Place, the first development to combine residences with retail along Tuscaloosa's Riverwalk, was formally dedicated Tuesday afternoon.

The $14 million development consists of two three-story buildings with 22 luxury condominiums on the second and third floors and more than 16,600 square feet of retail space for shops and restaurants on the ground floor.

Located on 3.3 acres between Jack Warner Parkway and the Black Warrior River, RiverWalk Place was built by Bill Lunsford Construction and Development of Northport. Construction started in fall 2011, but development of the site has been in the works since 2004.

Lunsford's partner in the development is Mike Chambers, who redeveloped the old Spiller Furniture building on Main Street in downtown Northport.

Last week, RiverWalk Place's first business, Orange Leaf America's Frozen Yogurt, had its grand opening. And on Monday, Dec. 17, its second restaurant, Another Broken Egg, will open, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We will have a lot of menu items you will not find in Tuscaloosa,” said Sara DiPalma, regional manager for Another Broken Egg.

“It is a high-end, family-oriented restaurant,” she said of the eatery, which is new to West Alabama. Its menu includes different types of omelets, different types of eggs Benedict, gluten-free and vegetarian items, burgers, sandwiches and salads, with all items available throughout the day.

The restaurant is a franchised operation. The first Another Broken Egg opened in Mandeville, La., in 1994, and its second restaurant opened a few years later in Destin, Fla.

The chain also has restaurants in the Birmingham and Huntsville areas.

Tenants for the additional retail space at RiverWalk Place have not been announced. The original plans for the development showed space for a third restaurant and four specialty retailers.

Brandon Clark, who handles the retail leasing for RiverWalk Place, said 16 of the one- and two-bedroom condominiums have been sold. The condominiums sell for $475,000 to $525,000 each.

Clark said RiverWalk Place was designed to set the bar for other mixed-use developments in the Riverwalk area. The city of Tuscaloosa has zoned the area for such developments, blending residences with commercial and retail shops.

RiverWalk Place is built on the site of one of the original locks on the Black Warrior River. That lock was built in 1880 and was in use until the new Oliver lock replaced it around 1960.

Some of the old lock is still visible along the property's riverbank, and some of the limestone blocks from the lock have been incorporated into a centerpiece in the courtyard at RiverWalk Place.

<p>TUSCALOOSA | RiverWalk Place, the first development to combine residences with retail along Tuscaloosa's Riverwalk, was formally dedicated Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>The $14 million development consists of two three-story buildings with 22 luxury condominiums on the second and third floors and more than 16,600 square feet of retail space for shops and restaurants on the ground floor.</p><p>Located on 3.3 acres between Jack Warner Parkway and the Black Warrior River, RiverWalk Place was built by Bill Lunsford Construction and Development of Northport. Construction started in fall 2011, but development of the site has been in the works since 2004.</p><p>Lunsford's partner in the development is Mike Chambers, who redeveloped the old Spiller Furniture building on Main Street in downtown Northport.</p><p>Last week, RiverWalk Place's first business, Orange Leaf America's Frozen Yogurt, had its grand opening. And on Monday, Dec. 17, its second restaurant, Another Broken Egg, will open, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.</p><p>“We will have a lot of menu items you will not find in Tuscaloosa,” said Sara DiPalma, regional manager for Another Broken Egg.</p><p>“It is a high-end, family-oriented restaurant,” she said of the eatery, which is new to West Alabama. Its menu includes different types of omelets, different types of eggs Benedict, gluten-free and vegetarian items, burgers, sandwiches and salads, with all items available throughout the day.</p><p>The restaurant is a franchised operation. The first Another Broken Egg opened in Mandeville, La., in 1994, and its second restaurant opened a few years later in Destin, Fla.</p><p>The chain also has restaurants in the Birmingham and Huntsville areas.</p><p>Tenants for the additional retail space at RiverWalk Place have not been announced. The original plans for the development showed space for a third restaurant and four specialty retailers.</p><p>Brandon Clark, who handles the retail leasing for RiverWalk Place, said 16 of the one- and two-bedroom condominiums have been sold. The condominiums sell for $475,000 to $525,000 each.</p><p>Clark said RiverWalk Place was designed to set the bar for other mixed-use developments in the Riverwalk area. The city of Tuscaloosa has zoned the area for such developments, blending residences with commercial and retail shops. </p><p>RiverWalk Place is built on the site of one of the original locks on the Black Warrior River. That lock was built in 1880 and was in use until the new Oliver lock replaced it around 1960.</p><p>Some of the old lock is still visible along the property's riverbank, and some of the limestone blocks from the lock have been incorporated into a centerpiece in the courtyard at RiverWalk Place.</p>